Success Stories

There’s a misconception that you have to already be in shape to come to Method 360 - that everyone here is a super-fit training god.

Are you a superfit training god? Bravo!

Unfortunately, this month's Success Story is not for you.

It’s for everyone else who thinks they can’t. Who thinks they’re not ready. Who thinks they have to be perfect before starting something new.

Denise McGeoghegan is a Method 360 client who embodies #RealFitness: someone who struggles with being – well – human! She really wanted to run a race but wasn't sure she was ready.

Though a sprinter in her school years, competing at a regional and national level, Denise gave up running and hasn’t run another race since then.

Last year, pre-Method 360, Denise registered for the Jingle Bell Run and chickened out because “I wasn't mentally or physically capable, even though I was working out pretty regularly."

“This time, from my Method training, I was mentally there but wanted to push myself to see if I was physically there.”

She didn’t prep at all, though concerned about arthritis in her knee and plantar fasciitis in her foot. She wanted to “put my Method training to the test! To see if I could actually do a 5k with no training runs.”

She did a full body mashup at Method 360 that morning then some shopping. “I was trying to not think about it, to be honest. Right before the race I was pretty nervous. I didn't know where the start was or if I needed to go to a different section, but I met up with the rest of the Method 360 team and my nerves subsided!”

The brain lies when we try anything new, and this race definitely got to Denise’s brain. “The start of the race was terrible! I kept thinking, ‘When is this going to be over?’” She was sure the race was almost done, and then she saw the 1-mile marker of the 3.1-mile race!

“I seriously wanted to kick that little sign over. I was so mad I wanted to quit, but I was doing better than I thought I would. It's so true when people say, ‘Don't judge your run by your first mile!’

“I was actually keeping a decent pace for someone who hadn't run any further than a couple of lengths of track at Method during a class! I did have to stop twice and walk for 20-30 seconds, but I was able to pick it up and start running again. Although the race was hard, by the last mile I felt like I was getting into a rhythm and was gliding.

“Coming up to the end, I could see my husband and two little guys standing at the finish line cheering and waving for me. It was an amazing feeling! I know 5k is a pretty insignificant distance when it comes to running, but crossing that line and getting those big hugs from my little men made me feel like I just finished a marathon!"

Why do we love this story? Because it speaks to #RealFitness. It speaks to resiliency! Denise didn’t know if she was ready. Her brain kept telling her she wasn’t. If she had listened, she never would’ve accomplished this feat! What is the thing your brain is lying to you about?

Denise wants you to know that if she can do the thing she thought she could not do, so can you.

Her advice for achieving #RealFitness? “Just do it and at your own pace! No one cares if you have to stop and take a breath or walk a little. It is actually enjoyable once you get over your initial fears and frustrations!”

Congratulations, Denise! We have watched you step far outside your comfort zone, leaving us all inspired! Enjoy an Assessment on us, to remind you along the way of just how far you've come!